Open Your Eyes
by WolfGirlCall
Summary: Sometimes you don't know what is before your eyes. You ended up ghosting the person, without giving her a chance. Until you realize what you did. Is it too late to get your happy ever after? Set after Breaking Dawn.


**Disclaimer: Twilight characters and the setting of the films belongs to Stephanie, however, the plot and summary are my own creation. **

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Open Your Eyes

Leah watched sea waves hitting against giant rock boulders of the cliff in distance; listening to the way sea speaks to her. She observed the way kids playing in the background and their parents guiding them. Oh, how she wished if she could reverse back the time and have this: a chance to be a mother, her fiance – a love of her youth, her best friend – cousin Emily.

And maybe, her father. Her father died from a fatal heart attack seeing his children phasing in their living room. The shock was too great that her mother only gasped, while her father didn't say anything, but his eyes told her everything she had to know.

She was a great disappointment to him, and that time can't be reversed. She stood there in their living room, totally ashamed in monstrous wolf form. And then her little brother followed suit. As if all sadness she endured wasn't enough, Taha Aki punished her like this. It took everything in her not to go and jump off the cliff and simply end her own life.

But something strange has risen in her. Spite, Capri, stubbornness – didn't allow her to just give up. No, instead this feeling gave her enough will she needed to continue and move on. She hurt persons who were on her way, Paul, Jared, Jacob, Quil and most of them all Embry.

She didn't mean to bring up a thing he obviously wanted to forget, a parentage. And yet she did, unthinkably, she drove him further away. Not just him, but everyone else who wanted to help her. She drove them all away, but the only one she couldn't drive away was Rachel.

When Rachel got imprinted on by Leah, it was a great shock for her, meaning she joined the imprinted club and that she is no longer her friend. The two had a very heated argument, and Leah thought she never saw Rachel angry like at that moment.

_Flashback_

„_Why the fuck are you following me?! Leave me alone!" Leah barked at her, „can't you get a hint? I don't have any desire to see you or talk to you!" _

_The dark-haired female squinted her eyes at Leah, her eyes throw daggers at her. „We will talk, Leah, you like or not." She said before blocking her pathway to her car._

_Leah snorted and was close to shaking. „Leave, Rachel. I swear I will d—„_

„_You will do what? To phase before me? Push me away even further like you did others? Start hating Emily and Sam? Or keep sorrowing yourself? Or keep weeping at how you are hurt and betrayed? You didn't meet what real betrayal is, you don't know what is mean being really hurt." Rachel snapped. _

_Leah's heart quivered at her words. They keep penetrating through her barrier. But she won't oblige. She has no right to tell her this stuff. She knows nothing. _

„_Rachel, I don't want to hurt you. Get out of my way. Leave me alone. You don't know anything!" Leah sneered at her. „Just like she doesn't know what she did and still is looking at my eyes and feels sorry for me!" _

_Rachel snorted a peal of laughter. „Emily is to be blamed for everything you endure? Leah, you know I love you until pieces, I'd take your side at any moment. But you talk bullshit," Rachel pressed angrily, „you are the one who doesn't know nothing. Did you know how it's hard for her to be away from Sam? Do you know how much is hard to ignore the distance? So just so you would be happy, Sam should be back to you, is it?" _

_Leah felt as if someone splashed her with ice water. Her heart was tearing into a million pieces. She only could look at Rachel, as if she sees her for the first time. Her tongue twisted in her mouth. She was lost for words. She wanted to scratch, she wanted to show her who is superior here, but it seems like her inner wolf stayed quiet, not wanting to get involved in this. Leah didn't expect anything. She only wanted her life back. She wanted her lover back. She was not ready to let go of him over some fucked up thing that is supposed to be rare. _

„_I know. You are hurt. You don't want to let go. But move on, Leah, because Sam doesn't love you, he has no balls to tell you, but I do," she said, „and when you do move on than you would be a true winner. Only then you'll learn to forgive." _

_End Of Flashback_

That was a wake-up call for her. Nobody put her in place as Rachel did. Even so, being in the same pack with Jake and looking after Bella made her think of options she has in life. Why can't work hard and simply fix her life? She can't stop phasing, so why she can't work on how to keep her temper under control. Why she can't go to community college and study psychology?

That was the first thing she did after they ensure that Volturi won't come back. The first morning after the meeting she went to community college in La Push and started taking courses in psychology. In between, she signed on course for yoga to try and control her temper the best she can. In a few days, there was a development, she was more in control than any of other wolves, she was less impulsive but more calmed.

Redemption?

She first started by organizing a picnic for the whole pack, as her way to say sorry. And then with Emily and Sam, by accepting Emily's proposal to be her maid of honour. She accepted the position with open arms and took upon herself to plan everything. When the day of their wedding finally came, everything was prepared and set ready according to Emily's and Sam's wishes. It pleased her that they were satisfied with the things she organized – ornaments, lighting, tables, flower arrangement.

The wedding was really fun but she felt not satisfied. She felt isolated as she was the only one on that wedding without a couple, without anyone with whom she can share Emily's happiness. Leah was truly happy for her cousin, but deep down she felt alone. But she was not the only one who felt isolated, it was Embry as well. And two started talking, little by little, their hearts slowly started to search what they eventually wanted – a night of closeness.

Flashback of that night is still swimming before her eyes, the way he kissed her, the way he held her, the way he pleasured her, the way he made love to her. Everything about that night she remembered, and she wants to repeat it. And yet, she is scared. If she goes, it means she'll allow him into her heart, if she doesn't, she'll regret her decision.

She closed her eyes and ruffled hair with fingers frustratingly.

„Why everything has to be so god damn complicated? Why I am being so complicated?" She wondered out loud.

„Because you were hurt, and you want to save your heart by putting people on hold," Embry's voice spoke from behind her.

Her body immediately froze. She slowly turned around to look at him. _How long he stood there? How she didn't notice him? Why did he come to her? _

Her usual urge to drive him away from her by being usually a bitch to him was long gone and instead, it was exchanged for something else she couldn't explain. Was it love? Or was it just attraction resulted in one amazing night they spend together?

„I put people on hold because they hurt me too much," she said biting her lip.

„I know," he replied, moving to sit next to her.

„Em," she started exhaling a deep sigh, „I am tired of being hurt or to hurt others unintentionally. You need to understand that whatever happened between us can't happen again," she said desperately trying to draw a line between them.

„Why? Because you are scared of what you feel when you are with me? Because you want me next to yourself but you don't want to hurt me?" He snorted out a dry chuckle, „Leah, I am grown-up man, I don't need you to tell me what is right or wrong. I know what I want."

She scoffed frustratingly. This again, she thought.

„Let me guess, you want to be with me and make wolf babies with me? Seriously! I can't have children! I am stuck in this goddamn curse!" She snapped, looking at him in total disbelief. „I am not a normal woman! I am not even your imprint! I don't want to engage with you into something which will, later on, be ruined! I can't have that happen!"

He rose an eyebrow. „You think I want that? You really convinced yourself that imprint will happen to me? Leah, do you realize it won't happen. I had many chances, and it didn't happen," he said calmly to her.

„It didn't b—„

„Because it wasn't meant in the stars! It didn't happen to you and you had been trying so hard to imprint so you could escape from Sam," he argued.

She was about to argue when she heard what he said. She paused for one moment. Does she really want to imprint only for her choices to be taken away just so she can escape away from Sam and her feelings from him? Is this why imprint never happened to her? She can't say he is right nor that he is lying. What if he was right? What if she was fooling herself for too long? Why is she doing this to herself? He approached her. She took step back until her back hit the tree. His eyes gazed at hers with determination, will and very genuine. He was not anymore shy and reserved, he was strong-willed man who knows what he wants.

_It scared her._

"Leah, I love you, it's not a joke that I felt this way about you since I first lay my eyes on you in high school. I became so smitten with you that I couldn't look at you properly without staring at you at how beautiful you were," he said softly, touching her cheek, "I didn't love just you as an individual, but I fell in love how you picked up yourself from ashes," he pursed his lips. "Give me a chance, Lee. I will prove myself to you. We can take one day a time. Just don't tell me what I can or can't. I know what I want."

She closed her eyes, her cheek without her knowing leaned into his thumb. She enjoyed his touch, like she enjoyed his kisses that faithful night. She wanted to be happy. She wanted her happy ever after. But can she have that? Can Taha Aki let her have that? She looked at him. She was sure, her look showed finally how she truly feels. Miserable, desperate, scared.

Than she did something out of her character — she embraced him, placing her arms around his waist, placing her cheek against his shoulder. She needed to be held, to be picked up. She wants to hear words like _I got you, I know what you went through but everything will be okay. _It's not something she'd say out loud, but she was debated to voice it out. Because, if there's anyone who'd listen is Embry.

She can trust him on everything. He is trustworthy. He never laughed at her face. He only quietly stood aside and waited his five minutes.

She brought a decision even before he approached her.

"Yes." She said quietly. "But, if you hurt me, I swear I'll find you on the end of world scalp you alive."

His eyes looked at her intensely, as if he is seeing her for the first time. Smile curled at the corner of his lips. He leaned in and pressed his lips onto hers. The kiss they shared was tender and passionate, filled with love and emotions. The kiss itself showed and mirrored what they felt for each other and they seal a deal with it.

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_Note: Story was inspired after re-watching Twilight saga for millionth time. The song that inspired this story is from Metric - All Yours (Acoustic version). Any constrictive criticism is welcome. :) _


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